the lincoln MKX upsets luxury game in a big way for 2016 in a bid to better
compete with midsize luxury SUVs like the lexus RX now besides the striking
styling of this new car there's a ton of technology on the inside that's a first
for the MK x plus there's an all-new engine a turbocharged 2.7 liter v6 now
with this host of improvements can lincoln MKX enter the legitimate luxury
segment
while the 2.7 liter is more powerful more fun to drive
it's rated with the same 19 miles per gallon combined rating as the base 3.7
liter v6 where it is going to hit you is that initial upfront costs for the 2.7
liter is two thousand dollars
the redesigned interior host very high quality materials especially on the door
panel every service is soft and it's very attractive with wood and metal
accents
now while the materials are very nice the styling itself on the inside is
fairly conservative
there's nothing outlandish or very innovative here except for the
push-button gear selector now we've seen it in other Lincoln's and MKX has it too
there are some pros and cons what's great is the freed up space for a nice
little storage cubby with USB port on the inside and also on three-point turns
it makes it really convenient to have the drive and reverse buttons real close
to the steering wheel on the downside
it doesn't look very nice they're very generic buttons there's little pieces of
chrome strip but I feel this could be executed with a lot more pizzazz than
just these very simple buttons the gear selector isn't the only annoying feature
in this general area of the car
the model were driving is an early production + KX and it still has the
outgoing my Lincoln touch touch screen now we've been complaining about this
system for years and forward and Lincoln's it's the quadrant based
previously and had capacitive touch controls great that it's gone we've got
real dials and knobs buttons fantastic but the last thing that needs to go
is this kind of outdated media system and on later MK exes
it's gone starting in late December the production models will be coming out
with sync 3 a much improved system with a better user interface new technology
and the MKX includes up 360 degree camera
it uses a camera in the front back and sides of the vehicle to create a
top-down view of what's around the car for easier parking now its feature we've
seen in the luxury segment before and Lincoln's isn't the best executed the
cameras aren't stitch together very well and it's also very hard to determine
where the wheel is when you're parking up against curb
so you're still kind of pinching carefully until you hit the curb
it's a feature that's much better executed in infinity who pioneered the
system as well as BMWs another piece of technology that needs a little bit more
refinement is the optional Lane Keeping Assist now that's the feature that's
going to move the car back in its original intended lane if it starts to
drift into the other Lane
it's a little too jerky it's jarring
and i have not the biggest fan of how it self corrects the good news is the
features adjustable in various intensities as well as you can choose
the mode that puts it to alert
only it won't make the correction and that's how i drove the MKX is must have
feature though the optional rebel 19 speaker stereo
it is just pure auditory bliss if you're a sound nerd
you absolutely have to listen to this stereo it's one of my favorites
yeah
ok
it's expensive though on this reserve trim level it's part of the 4400 dollar
luxury package
comfort is king for both front and rear occupants
the leather is soft and supple and there are a lot of amenities in the backseat
including heated rear seats into USB charge ports
there are heated seats up front as well as available heated steering wheel and
the comfort aspect also extends to the ride quality
now this car has an adjustable firmness suspension and various modes including
normal comfort and sport now in any of those modes it's not overly sporty or
overly harsh and in the comfort mode is it glides down the highway very
comfortable very quiet car
easy to spend a lot of time and I wish the adjustability of those driving modes
that was easier there's a sport button on the gear selector but to get into the
fine tuning of the suspension have to dig into the dashboard menus which isn't
entirely convenient standard on the reserve trim level is the always welcome
and extremely useful hands-free liftgate now with the kick it opens and you have
your hands full of groceries and it reveals a very generously sized cargo
area as well as one more trick up our folding back seat
all options tallied up our MKX reserve retail that just over 61,000 MKX is good
but it's a bit of a stretch to ask for sixty thousand dollar good when other
big names in the segment do it just as good or better with cleaner execution